Directed by Ben Rimalower, who helmed the all-star Snoopy concert, John Fisher's touching story of seven college friends will officially open Aug. 14. The cast will include Ken Barnett as Corey, Michael Busillo as Darryl, Ben Curtis as Christian, January LaVoy as Kegan, Brooke Sunny Moriber as Elsa, Christopher Sloan as Gabriel and Paul Whitthorne as Paul. James DeForte choreographs with musical direction by Mark Hartman.
Joy, according to production notes, "follows a group of college friends as they fall in and out of love in San Francisco over the course of a year. While working to complete his doctoral dissertation, Paul, an aspiring writer (and stubbornly offbeat historian) meets Gabriel, an irresistibly sweet (and still-closeted) undergrad with a disarming smile and a refreshingly romantic sensibility. As Paul and Gabriel grow closer, they realize the importance of balancing each other's social viewpoints and maintaining their own individuality, all while managing their friends' expectations and the wild electricity generated between Kegan and Elsa, a passionate pair of budding lesbians."
The creative team for Joy comprises Wilson Chin (set design), David Kaley (costume design), Ben Stanton (lighting design) and Zach Williamson (sound design). Producers are Sean Mackey, Eva Price and director Rimalower.
Ken Barnett has been seen on Broadway in Wonderful Town and The Green Bird. Michael Busillo appeared in the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well as the New York productions of Texas Homos and Better or Worse. Best known as "The Dell Dude," Ben Curtis' stage credits include Joy, Buried Child, Skin of Our Teeth and Indian Wants the Bronx. January LaVoy can be seen in the new film "War of the Worlds," and her theatre credits include Raw Boys, Merchant of Venice and A Streetcar Named Desire. Brooke Sunny Moriber's Broadway credits include Follies, The Wild Party, James Joyce's The Dead, Parade, Aspects of Love and Les Misérables. Among Christopher Sloan's stage credits are Joy, Cabaret and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Paul Whitthorne has been seen on Broadway in The Tempest and Off-Broadway in The Normal Heart and Orestes: I Murderd My Mother.
Joy will play Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 8 PM, Saturdays at 5 and 9 PM and Sundays at 3 and 7 PM. Tickets, priced at $65, are available by calling (212) 239-6200 beginning July 8. Tickets will also be available at the Actors' Playhouse's box office at a date to be announced shortly. The theatre is located at 100 Seventh Avenue South. For more information visit www.joytheplay.com
